Art, social media and religious discourse in Nigeria: Unpacking Okonkwo’s Facebook challenge illustrations

The purpose of this study is to extend a scholarly reading of Jide Okonkwo’s digital illustrations, which he referred to as the Daily Bible Illustration Challenge (DBIC). The study aims to deepen our understanding of the relationship between art, religion and the social interventions that occur between them. It problematizes the limited academic engagement with these relationships in Nigeria and Africa. Here, ‘the artistic’ and ‘the religious’ refer to a set of cross-mediated biblical renderings through which Jide Okonkwo, a prominent Nigerian digital artist, posed a social media challenge. The concept of a ‘challenge’ alludes to the ‘ALS Ice Bucket Challenge’ that gained widespread traction on social media in 2014. This article’s context of socio-religious mediation and visuality is framed within social semiotics as an interpretive tool. The compositions are analysed based on their visual properties and accompanying texts. Ultimately, Okonkwo’s works serve as a valuable medium of communication and engagement on religion, art and social mediation, with their relevance extending beyond Nigeria to a global audience.